Page 124 of Oath of Revenge

John looked in the mirror and squinted. “According to our data, in the castle keep at the capital, but not in the castle itself. One of the external buildings.”

Scarlet shook her head and turned to pace from the windows to the fireplace. Her skirts swirled and then caught, and she hiked them up so she could stride. She’d need to ask Eirwyn about the layout of the castle at the capital, as Scarlet had never been there.

The Dragon Claws were real. Perhaps they were even the ones who’d murdered her mother thirty years ago, although they hadn’t looked that old. Perhaps they’d have answers on why the king had sought to kill the druids. Hells, she’d be happy with confirming who had ordered it done because surely the former king had been just a child then. His father, the old king who’d died in the forest?

She spun on her heel, her mind thinking through every possibility and planning her next steps. It would take time for Wulfric to pick the Growlers most likely to succeed against them. Perhaps they could make a joint mission with Growlers and Hunters.

But the queen was closer. Demerel was just outside the Feral Forest. It was the epicenter of the curse, and where her life had been changed six months ago.

Her hands shook as turned around and blinked in surprise. Wulfric walked toward her from just a few feet away. She’d been so lost in thought, she’d missed Knox, Eirwyn, Wulfric, Ashur, and Leopol coming into the room. Her gaze met Wulfric’s concerned one as he took her hands in his, holding them tight to his chest.

His smooth caress made her shaking ease.

“What is it?” he asked, a worried line between his eyes.

She licked her lips, her eyes wide and heart racing. “Tomorrow morning, we ride for Demerel.”

Tomorrow night, she’d have her curse reversed or the queen’s head on a pike.

Chapter 40

“Are you sure this is going to work?” Wulfric asked, staring at the thick line of trees at the end of the Lone Road. His eyes burned from lack of sleep. He’d sent two Growlers to the druid’s cottage to meet with the Nightstalkers’ messengers in case they didn’t return by the deadline. He’d hoped to distract her with several orgasms to get her to calm down enough to sleep last night. But by the time she’d written letters to different Hunters and he’d finished with the Growlers, it’d been well-past midnight. They’d both fallen into bed with a groan, and she’d insisted they leave before dawn.

Light just starting to come up, but a thick tower of trees formed a wall in front of them. The Lone Road appeared to continue on the other side.

Scarlet pulled out a cylindrical whistle with holes on one side and arched a brow. “How do you think the Hunters get in and out of the forest to spy on Busparia?”

She blew into the end and several notes flowed together. Wulfric’s ear twitched in recognition of three different birds of the forest. How one instrument could overlap three sounds, he had no idea.

But before she put the whistle down, the trees on the road moved toward them. The dirt of the road rippled as the roots moved with them, allowing a space just wide enough for them to ride through one horse at a time.

He followed her, his stomach in knots at the thought of facing his old life. Scarlet had been so focused on getting to Demerel and the queen that he hadn’t had a chance to tell her he’d lived there once upon a time.

Shoulders tense, he turned the horse Knox had loaned him on the Lone Road. The winter palace was visible, but where he’d expected to see the town, there was simply a pile of rubble and ash.

“The town is gone,” he said into the stillness. No birds sang on this side of the forest. There was no sign of life at all. No rodents rustling the grass because there was no grass. Nothing but dirt turned black as if by a fire.

Scarlet nodded slightly ahead of him, but didn’t turn to face him. Her gaze remained on the castle.

“When the queen’s curse exploded, the spell settled over everything. Like a bomb going off, it destroyed everything.”

“Except the castle,” he said.

She nodded, but didn’t continue. They reached the outskirts of the town. Piles of ashes and broken timbers were all that was left of the cottages. He swallowed as they turned onto the major thoroughfare, and he spied his parents’ shop.

He pulled the horse to a stop and swung down.

“What are you doing?” Scarlet asked, finally turning to him.

He didn’t answer. Memories of running through the shop while his pa argued with a customer flooded him. His ma insisting on him learning his sums so he could help. He looked down the street to where the tavern had stood, where he’d stared out the window at the beautiful brunette girl in pigtail braids.

His eyes stung as he remembered when they’d finally ran into each other—literally—at the market. He glanced back to the shop, not wanting Scarlet to see whatever might show on his face.

“I just need a moment,” he said softly, staring at the rubble of his former life.

“Do you want me to stay? If not, I’m going to scope out the castle.”

He nodded, still not turning to look at her. “That’s fine. You can see if the gates are open or if we need to find another way in.”

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